


where to miss? to the stars.

by hcrlaws



Category: Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Kind of a slow burn, Rating May Change, deadass soulmates, heavily based on the movie... like there is no doubt, people who have never seen titanic... you got a big storm coming., this story is heartbreaking, we all hate joffrey here, you will cry lots of times.
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-29
Updated: 2020-08-24
Packaged: 2021-01-08 06:20:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 18,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21231209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hcrlaws/pseuds/hcrlaws
Summary: Sansa Stark was a first class passenger on the Titanic. Theon Greyjoy was a third class passenger on the Titanic because he got lucky at a poker game.And they meet, maybe a little too late.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> this idea has been floating around in my head for such a long time and i've finally came to doing it. theonsa as jack and rose is just the perfect fit. 
> 
> i hope you all enjoy!
> 
> as always, kudos, comments and bookmarks are appreciated!

Blinding lights fill the darkness at the bottom of the ocean, the machines being operated from the ship above searching the deep for another ship, a less modern ship, a ship at the bottom of the ocean between the mainland and the Iron Islands. 

The two submersibles sink further down into the seas depth and into the darkness, falling away from the ship above and towards the ocean floor. The lights are on the ocean floor, following along the sand. 

Stannis Baratheon sits with his trusted friend, Davos Seaworth. Stannis is covered with gold found from other shipwrecks that he has snooped around, his eyes focused heavily on the camera and watching the ocean floor, waiting for the sight of the sunken ship.

“13 metres. You should see it.” 

Stannis voice was full of frustration. This is where the ship should be. It is where reports have always said it would be and yet, it wasn’t there. Until he saw the bow of the ghostly ship coming into sight, his eyes lighting up as his whole body sits forward in his chair, pointing it out on the camera. 

“There!”

The ship was towering above the ocean floor where it had lain for the past 84 years. Titanic stood tall, the ship slowly coming apart after years and years of being underneath the ocean. The submersible that Stannis and Davos were in, slowly moves over the bow railing, making sure to be careful and not hit into anything. 

Stannis was now looking through one of the small windows in the submersible. There was a bright smile on his lips where there hadn’t been one before, and perhaps he only ever did smile when he was closer to finding something else gold or valuable from so many years past. 

“It still gets me every time… To see the sad ruins of this great ship from where she landed at 2:30 in the morning on April 15th, 1912 after a long fall from the world above.” 

He spoke like he was in his own world, like he was speaking to himself, but he had the camera focused onto himself, moving it around to be able to film as they approached the ship, before back onto himself. The other men that were behind them, operating the machine they were in, just rolled their eyes at him. 

“You’re so full of shit, boss.” Davos commented, chuckling at the muttering coming from one of the other men. 

The two submersibles go in different directions around the ship to get different angles, passing by the large anchor that had held the ship down for a good hour before it ended up sinking anyway. The two submersibles that had been large in size before, just looked like white bugs beside the wreck of the ship, still standing tall above the ocean floor.

“Here we are again. Dive nine. Back on the deck of the ruined Titanic… two and a half miles down. The pressure enough to crush us like a freight train going over a small ant.”

The first submersible lands on the deck of the wrecked ship, just beside the just as wrecked captains quarters. The other submersible lands on the roof of the deck nearby. 

“Alright. Let’s get to work boys.” Stannis nods towards Davos, watching as the white bearded man makes his way over to put on the 3D electronic goggles and grab the joysticks to control the ROV. 

Slowly and surely moving it, Davos moves the ROV through the parts of the ship that they’d never be able to reach. Moving through the hallways of where the first class would have once walked down to get from room to room, drinking champagne and happily living their lives while they crossed the ocean towards the Iron Islands, Davos moves into the first class reception room after passing down the once grand staircase that the first class would take. He moves past a grand piano that once was against the wall and now was in the middle of the room; surprisingly still in good shape, and then underneath the glittering chandelier that was still hanging from the ceiling. He passes over a champagne bottle that was resting on the floor, and then over some of the broken china that lay smashed across the floor. There was a dolls head, that for a second looked like the skull of a child. Davos quickly moves towards the broken door and towards the room that was B-52, and into the sitting room of what had been one of the best suites on the entire ship. 

“Heading for the bedroom, B-54.” 

“Stay off the floor. Don’t stir it up like you did yesterday.” Stannis warned him, but never once takes his eyes away from the video. 

“I’m trying boss.” 

Davos moves the ROV across the room and squeezes it through the narrow doorway of the bedroom after turning the camera for a second to look at the elegant fireplace. Once entering the bedroom, the camera pans over the broken furniture that lays around, the writing desk that was out of place. The camera comes to a broken off wardrobe door. 

“I want to see what’s underneath the wardrobe door.” Stannis tells him, his hand coming to rest on Davos’s shoulder to get a closer look to the screen. Davos takes out the arms of the ROV and brings them over to the wardrobe door, slowly gripping onto it with the claws and beginning to try and flip it off of whatever was hidden underneath.

“Careful, Davos. Slowly…” 

The door moves and reveals what was underneath. The green safe was almost brand new, not a scratch on it even after being under the sea for 84 years. Stannis face lit up like a child on Christmas morning, turning to the other crew members.

“Are you seeing what I’m seeing?” He grins like a cheshire cat. “It’s payday boys.”

**_____________**

The safe is lowered down onto the deck of Stannis’ ship, a crowd had already gathered to watch the new reveal of what was inside. Stannis could already picture the beautiful gold jewellery that was inside, and hopefully something he had been searching for years for. The safe was dripping wet as it hit the deck, the crowd cheering out as the men who worked for Stannis waited for the big pay that was going to come from within it. 

Davos came up from behind to Stannis, wrapping his arms around the taller man’s shoulders and bringing him in for a close embrace. “Who’s the best? Say it.” 

“You are, Davos.” Stannis turns to the camera crew. “Are you rolling?” 

“Rolling.” They confirmed, pointing their camera towards the safe as the power saw began to cut right through the hinges of the safe. During this moment, Davos had popped open a bottle of champagne in celebration, beginning to spray it across everyone as the cheers just get louder. 

Another technician comes in and hooks onto the door of the safe, Stannis giving the nod. 

“Alright, crack her open.” And the door was pulled off, things beginning to flood out of the safe in the orange mess. Stannis kneels himself down, the camera man also coming in closer to be able to see inside of the safe. Pulling out old, worn away pieces of paper, Stannis throws them all aside before digging further into the old safe. He took out a notebook, giving it a look before tossing that to the side as well, continuing to dig and only finding pieces of what used to be paper.

“No diamond?” One of the crew workers asked over his shoulder, everyone’s cheers died down as well as Stannis’ hope. Not even a single piece of gold was inside of the safe, not even the diamond they had been looking for. 

Stannis stood up, still feeling the camera pointed onto him. The frustration and anger was clear in his face, in the scowl that had replaced the smile that was there moments before. 

“Turn the camera off.” 

**_______________**

The technicians were currently taking each of the papers that were found in the safe and putting them into the water trays to seperate them safely without ruining any of them further. The other things that had been found on the ship were being washed down nearby, but Stannis had no interest in any of them. 

One of his crew members handed over the phone to him as he passed by, and Stannis instantly felt that twist in his stomach, knowing it had to be the partners. And once again, Stannis would have to bring them bad news. 

  
“Hey Dave, Barry… Look it wasn’t in the safe. No no- Don’t worry about it, there is still plenty of other places that it could be. In the floor debris in the suite, in the mother’s room…” His eyes find the camera footage being shown on one of the screens, the technician watering away the dirt that was stuck against whatever was inside of the notebook. “Hang on a second…” Stannis was completely focused on it, the phone hanging away from his ear but still in his hand as his eyes watched the drawing of a woman coming onto the screen. 

The woman was young, and certainly beautiful. She had to be in her late teens or early twenties, posing nude for the drawing. The picture was in good condition, only the edges had worn away a little. He could still make out the initials of TG that were signed into the bottom right corner. The woman was not completely nude, as on her chest, hanging around her neck, was a necklace, with a heavy stone that hung from the chain. 

Stannis was quick to throw the phone towards one of the other crew members while running to move through the clutter of mess that was on the lab table, picking out a specific photograph. The same necklace was in the photograph, sitting on a velvet pillow. The diamond necklace was cut into a heart shape, just like the one on the woman’s chest in the drawing. 

“Well I’ll be damned.” 

**_____________**

Photographs lined against one of the dressers in the living room, the sound of the news playing on the small television that sat against the wall. There were small figurines, art hanging on the walls as Jenny Payne moved herself through the small living room, a dog trailing at her feet. 

“Lady, I’ll feed you in a minute.” She comments with a chuckle, placing the lunch for her Grandmother down on the round table. The news was playing softly in the background of the room where Sansa Payne was sat, her hands covered in the red pottery mold as she was bent over the table, molding another vase to add to her collection or sell. 

“Treasure hunter Stannis Baratheon is best known for finding so many amazing pieces of gold in the bottom of the ocean by Dorne, but has now changed his attention two and a half miles below to research another famous shipwreck, the Titanic. Stannis is with us live from his own research ship in the middle of the ocean between the Iron Islands and the mainland. Hello Stannis?” 

“Yes, hello Melisandre. You know, the Titanic is not just a shipwreck. It is THE shipwreck. I’ve planned this for three years, and we are out here discovering some amazing things. Things that will have enormous historical and educational value. We’ve been using technology and robots to get further into the wreck than anyone ever has before.” Stannis spoke calmly, his face appearing on the screen but sort of glitching and buffering every now and then. The wind on the seas was blowing his dark short cut hair just slightly, his eyes screwed shut in focus. 

“But it is no secret that education is not your purpose. You are a treasure hunter, so what is it that you’re exactly looking for down there?” The reporter asks him, that fake smile that all reporters have plastered onto her face. 

“I’d rather show you than tell you.” 

Sansa’s eyes turned themselves towards the small television that was resting up on one of the counters in the kitchen, reaching for her walking stick as she uses it to lift herself up and slowly shuffle towards the living room, staring at the man that was displayed on the screen. Jenny stopped preparing the lunch when she noticed her Grandmother, moving closer to her.

“What is it?”

“Turn that up, dear.” 

Jenny moves to turn up the volume, moving to stand beside her Grandmother, confusion covering her face.

“Take a look at this drawing we found just today. A piece of paper that’s been underwater for 84 years. And my team were able to preserve it intact.” Stannis continued to talk while the screen had cut over to show off the drawing he was talking about, causing Sansa’s bright Tully blue eyes to widen. 

“I’ll be Goddamned…” She muttered. 

**____________**

Stannis was standing underneath, watching as the crane took up the submersible for another dive into the water when one of his partners, Renly came along to grab his attention. 

“Stannis. There’s a satellite call for you.”

“Renly, can’t you see I’m busy? The submersible is about to go into the water again.” He brushed him off, about to turn his attention back around with his younger brother took him by the arm.

  
“Trust me, you’re going to want to take this call.” 

“This better be good.”

The two men walked forward towards where one of their phones and radios were stationed, Stannis took down his ear covers and allowed them to rest on his neck, slowly taking the phone from Renly as it was held out to him.

“Now you’ve got to speak up, she’s kinda old.” 

“Great.” Stannis rolled his eyes, taking the phone anyway and bringing it up to his ear, his finger plugging the other to block out the background noise so he could clearly hear the other end of the call. 

“Hello this is Stannis Baratheon, how may I help you..” He turns to look at Renly, covering the bottom of the phone for the microphone.

  
“Payne. Sansa Payne.” 

“Mrs Payne.” Stannis puts on a hint of a smile. 

  
“I-I was just wondering if you had found the heart of the ocean yet, Mr Baratheon?” Sansa’s voice came through from the other side, Jenny sat at her side. The lunch and the tea had been long forgotten about. 

Stannis’s eyes widened as he turned to give Renly a look of shock, ignoring the smug look that came from his younger brother. “Told you you’d want to take the call.”

“Alright you have my attention, Sansa. Can you tell me who the woman in the drawing is?” 

“Oh yes. The woman in the drawing is me.”

**____________**

The helicopter was loud as it passed right over the sea, metres above where the ship was underneath the gentle waves on the calm morning breeze. Sansa was sat with Lady at her feet, her wrinkled but strong hand softly combing through the dogs fur. Her Granddaughter, Jenny, was sat at her side, both of them looking out of the window as the helicopter fast approached the research ship that Stannis Baratheon and his crew were on. 

“She’s a goddamn liar! She’s clearly doing it for the money or the publicity. God only knows why.” Davos ranted along to Stannis who was busy preparing everything for Sansa Payne getting there. Stannis continued to ignore his best friend and partner, his attention instead turning to Renly. 

  
“She’s here!” Renly called out, the three following to the edge of the research ship to look across the open water and see the helicopter that was coming closer and closer. Stannis turns, moving with almost glide across the deck of the ship. 

“Sansa Stark died on the Titanic when she was 18, right?” Davos continued, following behind Stannis who was walking, while looking back at the helicopter that was coming into land at the same time. 

“That’s right.” 

“If she had lived, she’d be over a hundred by now.” 

“A hundred and one next month.” Stannis says, the hint of a smile on his lips. 

“Okay… so she’s a very old goddamn liar!” The three go up the stairs to the top deck of the ship, Davos still rambling on behind. “I already did a background check on this lady all the way back to the 20s, where she was working as an actress. An actress! There’s your first clue, Sherlock. Her name was Sansa Greyjoy back then. Then she married some guy called Payne, she gives up working and punches out a couple of kids. Now Payne is dead.” 

“And everyone else that was on that damn boat and knew about the diamond is also dead, but she knows!” Stannis points out, shaking his head at Davos while continuing to walk. Davos couldn’t help but wonder if his friend was really concerned about this random woman, or more concerned about finding the necklace he had obsessed over for years. 

The men came to stand on the helicopter landing pad while watching the helicopter came down into a gentle landing. The wind coming from the parpellars blew their hair around, their hands coming up to cover their eyes. Once the helicopter had landed, their crew began to unload the luggage that was coming off of it. Davos and Renly were standing together, eyeing up the amount of luggage coming off. 

  
“Doesn’t exactly travel light, does she?” Davos comments. 

Stannis was already up at the door of the helicopter where the crew were helping an old woman down by her wheelchair she was sitting on, the small dog sat on her lap. “Mrs Payne! I’m Stannis Baratheon, welcome to my ship and thank you for coming.” He shakes her hand politely before turning his attention to the younger woman following along behind. “Hi I’m Stannis, welcome to my ship.” 

“Hi.” Jenny greets back, her shades pushed up the bridge of her nose. She was quick to move towards her Grandmother, pushing away the hands of the other crew as she began to push her in the wheelchair herself. 

**____________**

Making herself right at home in the small cabin that was given to her, Stannis was placing each and every one of her photographs that she carried along with her on every trip, onto the small dressers, her fish bowl also placed on top of it. At the sound of a knock, Sansa raises her eyes to see Stannis and Davos standing at the open doorway.

“Are your cabins alright?” Stannis asks, slowly moving into the small room as much as he could. Sansa offers a smile back, nodding.

“Oh yes, very nice and cosy.” Her eyes look towards her Granddaughter who was kneeled down, placing things on the shelves. “Have you met my Granddaughter, Jenny? She takes care of me.” She states with a proud grin on her lips, the sparkle still prominent in her ghostly eyes. 

“We met just a few minutes ago. Remember Nana? Up on deck?” Jenny offers a kind and polite smile towards the two men before turning her gaze back to Sansa, who lifted her hand and made a gesture towards her mind, pulling a face. 

“I take my pictures when I travel.” Sansa announces to them, continuing to place the last frame up on the dresser while Jenny was busy placing her clothes into the shelves below. 

“Can we get you anything?” Stannis questions. 

“Yes. I would like to see my drawing.” 

**_____________**

Bending over to see into the water tray, Sansa’s blue orbs widen at the sight of the almost brand new drawing that was laying underneath the water. Only the edges had faded a little, and as she allowed her eyes to close, she could almost imagine she was back where she was when the drawing was done, laying naked across the fine sofa with  _ him _ sitting in front of her, gaze so focused as he drew with skill. She could still see the sea that was in his eyes…

“This fabulous stone is known as the blue diamond.” Her eyes snapped open again at the sound of Stannis’s voice breaking her from her dream and back into reality. It was lost and then believed to have been chopped in two, and shaped into a heart, that then became known as the heart of the ocean.”

“It was a dreadful heavy thing.” Sansa shakes her head, taking notice to the frown that came onto Stannis’s face at her comment. “I only wore it this once.” 

“You actually think this is you, Nana?” Jenny asks, leaning forward to look at the drawing closer. Sansa turns her head, an offended look on her face as she scoffs. 

“It is me, dear… wasn’t I something to look at?” Jenny laughs along with Stannis. 

“I tracked this back with a claim, a claim sworn to secrecy. Can you tell me who’s claim it would be?” Stannis questions, kneeling down further to be level with Sansa. Sansa’s lips tugged into a smirk, an almost snort coming from her nose as she nods.

  
“I’d imagine it would be someone named… Lannister.”

Nodding along, Stannis continues. “Jaimie Lannister, that’s right. Big tiecoon in Kings Landing. They say that the claim was for the necklace for his son, Joffrey, to give to his fiancée ... You.” Sansa laughed again, but nodded. “That was a week before the ship left the docks of Kings Landing. It was filed right after the sinking… so the diamond, had to have gone down with the ship.” Stannis smiles, almost looking for conformation with her. 

“See the date?” 

“April 14th, 1912.” Jenny confirmed, looking at the right bottom corner of the drawing. 

“Which means if your Grandmother is who she says she is, she was wearing the diamond the day the Titanic sank.” Davos confirmed to Jenny, who still looked as confused as she did when she stepped out of the helicopter. 

“And that makes you, my new best friend.” Stannis says directly to Sansa, bright grin across his face. 

The group then moved across to one of the tables where some of the things they had recovered from the room Sansa was in on the Titanic was found. Sansa’s eyes instantly went for the rounded mirror that was sitting at the front, bringing it into her hands. “This was mine.. How extraordinary!” She smiles towards Jenny who was sat at her side. “It looks the same as it did the last time I saw it…” Turning it over in her hands, Sansa noticed the crack that ran diagonally across the mirror, her old and wrinkled face staring back at her in the reflection. “Reflections changed a bit.” She comments while setting the mirror back down onto the table. 

Her hands then find a clasp with a dragonfly on it, gasping at the sight. The dragonfly was broken in places, and the clasp was a little worn, but it still was as it was the last time she saw it, where she pulled it from her hair and let her red locks fall down her back in curls. 

She hardly even noticed Stannis coming to her side and kneeling down just behind her shoulder, eyes focused on her. “Are you ready to go back to Titanic?”

**____________**

“Okay, here we go.” Davos pulls out one of his animation films for them to see, and Sansa’s eyes watched curiously as it showed the animation of the Titanic hitting the iceberg. “She hits the iceberg on the starboard side. She kind of bumps along, punching holes like morse code.” He makes noises, his hands making the demonstration of how it would be. “And the following compartments start to flood.”

Sansa watches as the animation changes into the side of the boat, watching the water rising further up the different parts while having a lump forming in her throat. She could feel the bile, she could feel her eyes watering already. 

“Now as the water level rises, she spills over the watertight bulkheads, which unfortunately don’t go any higher than E deck. So now as the bow goes down, the stern rises up. Slower at first and then faster and faster until finally she’s got her whole ass sticking up in the air.” Davos waves his hands around, pointing out different parts of the animation. But Sansa was just trying to stop herself from being sick. “And that’s a big ass. We’re talking 20, 30 thousand tun. Okay? And the hull’s not designed to be able to handle that sort of pressure, so what does she do? She splits. Right down to the keel.” Sansa could feel the bile rising as she watched the animation of the ship do just that. “And the stern, falls back level. Then as the bow sinks, it pulls the stern vertical until finally detaching. Now as the stern section kind of just bobs in the water like a cork for a couple of minutes, it finally goes down at 2:20AM, which is 2 hours and 40 minutes after the collision. The bow section planes away, landing about half a mile away. It’s going at about 20, 30 knots when it hits the ocean floor.” Davos makes the crashing noises with his mouth again as the animation shows it, before finally turning his attention back to them. “Pretty cool, huh?” 

Sansa was not impressed by his noises, nor his animation. She had a nasty taste in her mouth as the man known as Davos, named it as something “cool”. She looks towards him, giving a tight smile. 

“Thank you for that… excellent forensic analysis, Mr Seaworth.” She purses her lips, almost a distant look in her eyes. “Of course, the experience of it was somewhat different.” 

“Will you share it with us?” Stannis asks. 

Sansa just stands slowly from her wheelchair, ignoring the protests of Jenny as she shuffles her way over towards the screens which showed the ship, of course underneath the water. She stares at it, a warm feeling coming into her heart at the sight of it. Her eyes were filled with tears as she looked from one screen that showed the hallway towards where her and her mother were staying, and then to another that showed the doors that took you into the main reception area for the first class. She could almost still see it. She could still see the men standing on either side of the doors to hold them open as she passed through, which caused her tears to fall from her eyes, a gasp while she covered her face with her hands. 

“That’s it. I’m taking her to rest.” Jenny was quick to move to her Grandmother’s ade, hands resting on her arms as she tried to move her away from the screens. 

“No.” 

“Come on, Nana...” 

“No.” Sansa spoke clearer this time. Jenny helped her, her hands slowly coming away from Sansa as Sansa moves herself to sit down in her chair again. Stannis was quick to get the recorder from Renly, starting it up and setting it down onto the side.

“Tell us, Sansa.”

Sansa took a moment, taking a deep breath. Her eyes were closed as she tried to imagine it all again. “It’s been 84 years.” 

“It’s alright, just try to remember anything. Anything at all.” Stannis comments. 

Her eyes open, tilting her head to the side. “Do you want to hear this or not, Mr Baratheon?”

The other men in the room, Davos and Renly, both tried to not laugh at the sight of their boss being sat back by an old woman, but all of them listened as she began again.

“It’s been 84 years. And I can still smell the fresh paint… The china had never been used. The sheets had never been slept in… Titanic was called the Ship of Dreams. And it was. It really was.”

**____________**

A little girl was held up in her father’s arms to be able to see across the tops of the crowd’s heads. Her eyes were wide with excitement and wonder as she stared at the large ship that was in the dock, people of all different classes and styles getting onto it. Other people were just stood in the crowd as she was, waving at the people - presumably loved ones that had gotten onto the ship and were waving back. 

A man with a suit on, bow tie right up at his throat, and combed out moustache was shouting out orders to the moving crowd heading for the ship. “All third class passengers this way to have a health inspection before boarding the ship. Please line in an orderly fashion to be seen quicker.” He had a whistle around his neck, using it to gain attention as the people began to do as he said. 

“Big boat, isn’t it?” Her father snapped her attention back to him, earning a snort and a smug look from his daughter.

“Daddy, it’s a ship.” 

The man chuckles along, nodding. “You’re right.”

The girls attention was one again taken away when the sound of a car horn could be heard just a little away from them. Three cars came to a stop just before where the crowd had gathered, a man stepping out and opening the door. A white gloved hand appeared, holding itself out and the young girl could feel herself take a deep breath as she watched the woman who stepped out with the help of the gentleman. 

**_____________**

Sansa’s head tilted up towards the large ship that was in the dock. Not a single sign of impressment was on her lips, her eyes still narrowed into tight slits. She stood off to the side, her gloved hands clasped together in front of her as her big purple hat blocked her from the sun beating down onto them. 

Exiting behind her from the same car came Joffrey, big grin upon his face as he looked at the ship. Unlike his fiancee, he was impressed by it. He had been impressed before he had even seen it come into view. 

“I don’t see what all the fuss it about. It can’t be any bigger than the Mauritania.” Sansa turns to look at him, her gloved hand holding her hat a certain way to cover her face. Of course, Joffrey was not impressed by her displeasure. 

“You can be like that about some things, Sansa, but not about Titanic.” 

Sansa turns away from him before he can even finish, her eyes up towards the ship as she walked with her cane. “It’s almost 100 feet longer than the Mauritania… And far more luxurious.” She could hear him, but chose to ignore. 

Turning himself towards the car, holding his hand out, Joffrey took the hand of Sansa’s mother, Catelyn, while making a comment about Sansa of course. “Your daughter is far too difficult to impress, Catelyn. I struggle more and more as the days go on.” But that smile was still on his face. Still giving the impression that he was just being humorous, but Sansa knew better. He meant every word his tongue spoke of her. 

Catelyn lets out a laugh as she exits the car with the help of Joffrey, but her attention was much like her daughter’s, and her eyes soon found the ship that was in front of them. “So this is the ship they say is unsinkable?” It was more of a statement than a question. 

“It is unsinkable! The Old and the New God themselves could not sink this ship!” 

One of the men in the suit and bowtie came towards Joffrey and grabbed his attention. “Sir, you have to check your baggage through the main terminal. It’s round that way, sir.” He was polite, wanting to make a good impression with the first class passengers. He would never speak to them how he’d speak to the third class ones. 

“I put my faith in you, good sir.” Slipping some cash into his hand, Joffrey gave his charming smile towards the man, giving a nod in the direction of where Sandor was standing. “Now kindly see my man.” 

The man seemed shocked, but grateful and ready to do anything he could to please. “Yes sir. My pleasure sir. If I can do anything at all sir-” 

“Yes yes, alright.” Sandor was quick to grab the man by the arm and guide him away from Joffrey and towards the back of the three cars, where lots of luggage was kept. “All the trunks from that car there to the Parlor suite, rooms B-52, 54, 56.” And the man blew his whistle, gaining the attention of other men to help move the luggage.

Checking his pocket watch, Joffrey looked towards Sansa and Catelyn. “Ladies. We better hurry.”

Joffrey offered his arm out to the both of them, but Catelyn was the only one to take it as they walked through the crowd that waved up at the ship. Sansa was just behind them, walking on her own. Many eyes stared at her, stared at the redhead beauty that walked alone. Her maid was behind her, carrying her coat for her. “My coat?” Sansa turned to ask. “I have it.” Her maid, Shae, confirmed to her. A smile comes from Sansa before continuing her walk. 

Her heart was beating out of her chest the entire way, but her smile never once faltered. She made her way up the walkway just behind her mother who was in front, Shae behind and Joffrey to her side. Every step made her feel more sick and made her heart hammering in her chest even faster. She was not excited to be going to the Iron Islands, not excited to be leaving the beautiful South they were in now. Outwardly, she was respectable and she kept her posture and her smile. She was brought up to be a respectable young lady. 

On the inside though, she was screaming.

**____________**

In one of the bars, looking out towards the same dock where the ship was sitting, four men were playing a game of poker. They could hear the sound of the steam loudly coming from the ship, but were more interested in the game. 

“Theon, you’re an idiot! You bet everything we have!” Oberyn protested to his friend, giving a shake of his head. He was holding cards in his hands, but none of them were useful. 

Leaning forward to him, Theon’s lips pulled into a sly grin over the top of the cigarette that he was holding between them. “When you got nothing, you got nothing to lose.” 

The man sat across from him, Jorah, was holding hands in his right hand while downing a shot of whiskey with the other. The tensions were high. “You are a fucking moron. I can’t believe you bet our tickets, Bronn.” 

The other male just looked towards his friend with a hard gaze before Theon caught his attention. Bronn shook his head, muttering something before switching cards. Theon reaches down to the stack on the table, the pocket watch loudly ticking away in his ears as he pulls the card up and looks, taking a draw from the cigarette without using his hands, and blowing it out through his nose. 

“Alright. Moment of truth. Somebody’s life’s about to change.” Turning towards his friend, he raised an eyebrow. “Oberyn?” Oberyn lays out his cards on the table without breaking eye contact with Theon. That same disappointed look was still there. “Nothing?” “Nothing.” 

“Jorah?” Jorah lays out his cards as well, but more throws them down. “Nothing as well.” Theon makes a face before turning his eyes towards the last male. “Bronn?” He lays out his, and Theon takes a deep intake of breath. “Uh oh… Two pairs.” His eyes go towards Oberyn again, maintaining that sad puppy look. “I’m sorry Oberyn.” 

“You’re sorry? You motherfucker! You bet all of the money!” Oberyn ranted on, stopping when Theon’s hand came to rest against his shoulder. 

“I’m sorry. You’re not going to see your mama again for a long time… Cause we’re going to the Iron Islands, full house boys!” He smacks his other hand against the table, slamming his cards down to show the other two men. Both of them looked angry, disappointed. Theon was too happy for himself to care. Both of the boys jumped from their seats, Oberyn going around holding the tickets in his hands and waving them around to show everyone in the bar. 

Theon leaned over the table to scoop up the change that was also betted, eyes widening when Jorah grabbed him by the shirt, his hand clenched into a fist. It wouldn’t have been the first time Theon had been punched, and he closed one eye expecting and ready for the blow. But he was surprised when Jorah turned and punched Bronn instead, and it caused Theon to let out a laugh. 

Turning to Oberyn, they both grinned at each other. 

“I’m going to the islands!” Oberyn cheered and laughed, Theon taking the tickets from his hands and kissing each of them.

“I’m going home!” 

The two hugged, celebrating on their own while the other two men were too busy arguing and shouting at each other. 

“No lads. Titanic goes to the Iron Islands. In 5 minutes.” The bartender points up towards the clock that hangs on the wall, and Theon’s eyes widen, the two of them quickly making work at getting all the change into one of their bags. 

Theon and Oberyn ran fast through the crowds, dodging people as they shouted back and forth at one another, trying to make it to the end of the ship that the third class passengers went too. 

“We’re riding high in style now!” Theon shouts back to him, ducking underneath one of the walkways while they still ran on. “We’re a couple of regular swells. We’re practically goddamn royalty, Oberyn!” 

“I told you! I go to the Iron Islands and become a millionaire! It’s fate!” Oberyn shouts back as the two of them nearly run into two horses pulling a carriage, instantly dodging to run the other way around. 

“You’re an idiot, Greyjoy!” 

“Maybe but I’ve got the tickets!” 

“Come on! ``I thought you were fast!” 

The two ran up to the walkway just in time to see them pulling it away from the ship, ready to leave. Theon quickly moved up, holding his hand out that had the tickets in it. “Wait! Wait! We’re passengers! Passengers!” 

Handing over the tickets once they were at the top of the walkway, the crew member looks at it quickly before back at them. “Have you been through the inspection queue?” 

Theon was quick to nod, Oberyn giving a big grin from behind him. “Of course. Anyway, we don’t have any lice. We’re from the Iron Islands. The both of us.” The man takes one look at them before nodding. 

  
“Right. Come aboard.” 

Jumping over the gap between the boat and the walkway, the water underneath, Theon quickly grabs at Oberyn while they make their way down the corridors filled with third class passengers. 

“We’re the luckiest sons of a bitches in the world, you know that?!” 

**____________**

The ropes were pulled away from the harbour, allowing the ship to be able to sail away. The horn went off, everyone waving at the sides of the ship and back into the crowd below, saying goodbye to their friends and loved ones. 

Finding a gap in between people, Theon climbed up onto the railing with Oberyn behind him, waving down at the people below even though no one even knew who they were, nor did they have any friends or loved ones apart from each other down below. 

“Bye! I’m going to miss you all!” 

“You know somebody down there?” 

“Of course not! That’s not the point. Just join in!” 

Oberyn shrugs before doing the same, waving as the ship pulls itself away from the dock.

“Goodbye!”

“I’ll never forget you!”

  
  
  



	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Theon can't take his eyes off of the angel from the first class deck that is above his. 
> 
> Until he meets her, not under good circumstances, but at least they have a secret that they share now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is cut shorter than i wanted, but i believe it finishes at a pretty good point. 
> 
> NOTE: the bold italics throughout this fic from now on will be older sansa speaking over the scene, since she's still narrating the story.
> 
> WARNING: there is a mention of suicide in this chapter.

Walking along the crowded third class passenger halls was a woman and her two young children, her hand resting on the bottom of the boys back as she guided the two of them forward. “All the way darling.” She comments, her voice soft and soothing. 

Behind the family came Theon and Oberyn, dragging their brown sacks along behind them that carried the bare minimum of the things they had with them. Theon was in front, eyes running along every door they passed in search for the door number that was on their tickets.

“16… 16... “ He keeps repeating while Oberyn follows along behind. Theon reaches a caring hand out to slowly move himself past the young woman standing in the hallway, squeezing on past her with a kind smile. “Excuse me, ma’am.” Continuing with repeating the number 16. His eyes finally find the number on the door in black, smiling over his shoulder at Oberyn.

“Here it is.”

Pushing the door open, they were greeted by another two men on the other side. The two males looked equally as shocked to see Theon and Oberyn as Theon and Oberyn where to see them. However, Theon put a crooked smile back onto his face and held his hand out, moving in to shake hands with each, while Oberyn, was too busy throwing his sack onto the top bunk bed and claiming it for his own before Theon could notice. 

“Hey. Theon Greyjoy, nice to meet you.” He greeted both of the men, who shook his hand in return but still looked just as confused as before. As Theon turns to the bunks he and Oberyn would be on, he sees his friend already snuggling himself on the top, making him laugh as he reaches out to playfully punch him. “Who says you get top bunk, huh?” But there was no fight, as Oberyn almost giggles while Theon just goes onto the bottom bunk, the both of them too distracted to hear the other two men. 

“Where’s Jorah?”

** __________**

“This is your private promenade deck sir, will you be requiring anything?” The man in the white suit followed along behind Joffrey as they walked through the stunning seating area, a clear crystal glass already in Joffrey’s right hand while a bottle of champagne was in the other. 

“Hmm.” It was a simple reply, with a quite clear hand gesture with the glass that told the man to get out. Joffrey’s eyes were too busy looking out one of the many small square windows to look out at the view of the sea and the people below. 

“Excuse me.” And the man did as he was told. 

__________

Vases filled with the most beautiful mixture of red, pink and white roses were placed on top of the elegant fireplace by one of the many maids that Catelyn Stark brought along with her. The maids moved around on their own, doing as they were told as Sansa stood off to the side with her own maid, Shae, and looked at a bunch of paintings she had brought along with her. 

“This one?” Shae asked, her accent thick as she held out one of the paintings towards Sansa, one that looked quite like the one Sansa was describing, but not quite the one she was wanting. 

“No. It had a lot of faces on it…” Sansa brings out another painting, her eyes lighting up at the sight of the splash of colours. “This is the one.” She turns, eyes fixed on the large painting in her hands and not really focused on Shae behind her, unpacking the others. Sansa had always had a love for art, for colour. Anything that would brighten her dour and colourless life up. Everything was always so black, white and grey. 

“Would you like all of them out, Miss?” Shae asked. 

“Yes… We need a little colour in this room.” Sansa’s distaste for the brown coloured walls were not hidden, Shae doing as she was asked by carefully unpacking each of the paintings Sansa owned. Shae couldn’t help admire as she went, much like she always did. 

Sandor was stood to the side, barking orders towards the men that were bringing the luggage in from where they had been transported from their cars. “Put it in there. In the wardrobe.” He pointed with his finger, face glowering towards the men. 

“Dear God, not those finger paintings again. They certainly were a waste of money.” Joffrey arrived into the room to see if what he thought was happening was happening, and it was confirmed. Joffrey was not a fan of Sansa’s taste in art. He didn’t see why she liked them so much. He was standing with his glass filled with champagne now, watching everyone working away, even Sansa.

“The difference between Joffrey’s taste in art and mine is that I have some.” She deadpanned, moreso towards Shae who Sansa took another one of the paintings from and placed down onto the sofa for the moment till she could decide where she wanted it to go. It was her room, and she would put as many of her ‘finger paintings’ up as she liked. “They’re fascinating. Like being in a dream or something…” She could almost imagine she was in a dream when she looked at the bright and fun paintings from some of the most wonderful artists she’s ever came across. No one else would appreciate her art like she did. “There’s truth but no logic.”

“What’s the artists name?” Shae asks with interest, leaning forward as she takes a better look at the two very different paintings laid out. 

“Something Picasso?” Sansa replies, already picking up another to decide where to put it.

“Something Picasso?” Joffrey mocks with a scoff while pushing himself off the doorway he was leaning against. “He won't amount to a thing. He won't, trust me.” 

But Sansa just continues to walk into the bedroom with Shae following after her, the two of them mumbling to each other about one of the paintings, completely ignoring Joffrey who simply felt threatened by everything that Sansa found more interest in than him. 

“At least they were cheap.” Joffrey comments while taking another sip of champagne, the bottle still in his left hand resting against his hip. As another man came in, pushing the green safe along, Sandor nods towards the bedroom. “Put it in the wardrobe.”

_________

The ship had docked along the way at Oldtown, where a woman called Olenna Tyrell had gotten aboard. Olenna had not been rich her whole life. Her husband had struck gold somewhere in the South and Olenna was something that Catelyn would call ‘new money’. 

The ship was back out onto the open water and heading straight for the Iron Islands before long. Tyrion Lannister, the captain of the ship, came up behind one of his finest men who was also looking out onto the open water. “Take her to sea, Mr. Arryn. Lets stretch her legs.” 

“Yes sir.” 

Jon was quick on his feet as he glides his way from the bridge to the engine telegraph lever and turns it all the way to “ALL AHEAD FULL”.

The sounds of the ship beginning to pick up speed could be heard by every passenger on the ship, the propellers underneath moving faster as the sea begins to rush on underneath the bottom of the ship. 

The captain, Tyrion Lannister, seemed to be pleased as he accepted a cup of tea and brought it up to his smirking lips, watching as the passengers of first and third class enjoyed exploring the ship below him, the sea stretched out for miles in front. 

Arriving behind his captain again, Jon approaches and moves to stand beside him, looking out to the open sea. “Twenty one knots, sir.”

With a smile stretched across his bearded face, Tyrion nods. “Fantastic, Mr. Arryn.”

__________

Down on the deck of the ship, towards the bow, stood Theon and Oberyn, both tilting their bodies over the railing to look down into the sea below. The dolphins were moving along beside the ship, which is what caught the attention of Theon. He grins, watching as they dived out of the water and then back in. 

Oberyn was half leaning over, almost ready to topple over if his hand wasn’t bracing him against the railing. He points towards the open sea, where there was not a thing in front of them, and grins. 

“I can see Ten Towers already! Very small of course.” 

Standing up onto the first railings with the help of the ropes to keep him up, Theon towered over where Oberyn was stood in front of him, pointing out the dolphins jumping along. 

“I’M THE KING OF THE WORLD!” Theon shouted out across the open water, everyone around them hearing but not bothering with the boys and their shenanigans. He threw his hands up into the air, allowing his feet and his body leaning against the railings to keep him from falling as he yells out, hooting and howling like a wolf while Oberyn looks up at him, laughing and joining in. 

Theon stood with his arms stretched out, leaning his head back as he allowed the wind to blow through his curls, eyes closed as he imagined he was flying. He had never felt so happy, so free to be going back home. He would see his sister again, his mother too. 

____________

“She is the largest moving object ever made by the hand of man in all history.” stated Petyr Baelish, a proud smirk on his lips, his hands clasped together in front of him as he sat at a high tea lunch with people, important people. People who were above even him. Petyr wanted to impress, and so, he gestured towards the man sitting at the table beside him. 

“And our master shipbuilder, Mr Harlaw here, designed her from the keel plates up.”

To his right, Rodrik Harlaw looked annoyed as the other male drew the attention towards him. He had hoped to get through this tea without having to speak more than five words. He would much rather be back in his cabin, reading through a good book with a glass of wine in his crystal glass. It sounded like a much more pleasant time than sat at a lunch with the likes of Petyr Baelish. 

“Well.. I may have knocked her together, but the idea was all Mr Baelish’s. He envisioned a steamer to grand in scale, and so luxurious that it’s supremacy would never be challenged. And here it is.” He gestures around them, a charming smile pulled onto his lips. He was glad when the attention was drawn from him and back to Petyr. 

“Why are ships always called ‘she’? Is it because men think half the women have big stearns and should be weighed in tonnage?” Olenna Tyrell speaks up, causing the group to laugh at her jokes. While this chatter continued, Sansa was off in her own world, her hand reaching for a cigarette, bringing it between her painted lips as she lights it, taking a puff.

At the same time, Catelyn was sat beside her, her face drawing into a scowl and a look of disgust as she caught what her daughter was doing. Of course, the look was quickly wiped away, wanting no one else to notice. “You know I don’t like that, Sansa.” 

No one else had noticed the conversation going on between the mother and daughter, Sansa’s eyes locked on her mother as she blows the smoke from her mouth. At the same time, Joffrey had took notice and scoffed, leaning across the table. “She knows.” Taking the cigarette from between her fingers and stumping it out before she can comment any further on it.

From across the table, Olenna had noticed the exchange and cast a look of displeasure towards Joffrey while he was turned the other way. If there was one thing the older woman hated, it was men who believed they were in control of the women. 

“We’ll both have the lamb. Rare, with a little mint sauce.” Joffrey says towards the waiter that had arrived, turning to Sansa when he moved away with the tables orders. “You like lamb, don’t you sweetpea?”

Sansa just smiles, her lips pulling and her cheeks hurting from how much she’s having to force it. Sansa was not a fan of lamb, but she would eat it to please Joffrey. There were people on the ship who would die for the chance to eat such a fine meat, she would not let it go to waste and just be thrown away. 

Olenna had her eyes on the pair the whole time, sitting herself up straight as she too wore a fake smile, always willing to please, always keeping her opinions to herself. “You going to cut her meat for her too, Joffrey?” She laughed, though that was fake too. But Joffrey was not pleased by her comment, narrowing his eyes towards the older woman. 

Olenna was quick to change the subject, turning to Petyr. “Who thought of the name titanic? Was it you, Petyr?” 

Pleased to be brought back into conversation about his ship, or moreso something about himself, Petyr grinned and nodded his head. “Yes actually. I wanted to convey sheer size. And size means stability, luxury and safety-” He was cut off by Sansa before being able to continue. 

“Do you know of Dr Freud? His ideas about the male preoccupation with size might be of particular interest to you, Mr Baelish.” It was a smart comment, and one that Rodrik choked on his breadsticks over from across the table, trying to keep his laughter down at the shock horror across Petyr’s face. Even Olenna was laughing and nodding along with her. 

Catelyn just looked as mortified as Petyr was. “My goodness, Sansa, what’s gotten into you?”

“Excuse me.” Pushing herself away from the table before Joffrey or her mother could object to it, Sansa walks off, out of the area they were sitting in and out onto the deck. 

“I do apologise.” Catelyn says with a shake of her head, applaud by what her daughter had said to the designer of the ship. 

“She’s a pistol, Joffrey. Hope you can handle her.” Olenna states with a nod of her head, a grape on the end of her fork. 

Joffrey was just as shocked as anyone else, his eyes still turned in the direction where Sansa had left until they came back to Olenna, clearing his throat. “Well, I might have to start minding what she reads from now on, won’t I, Mrs Tyrell?” 

___________

Sitting on the bottom deck of the ship, the one where the third class people were permitted to go, Theon was sitting on a bench underneath the glaring sunlight, eyes screwed shut to shield them from the bright light with a sketchbook in his hands. Children were running around the deck with a ball, other people just walking and taking in the view of the sea stretching out in front of them, but Theon’s eyes were locked onto the father and his daughter standing a little away from him, the daughter up on the railings. The father had her hand in his, drawing out the pattern of the waves and the seagulls that were flying high in the sky. 

On his leather bound sketch pad - which happened to be the only possession that Theon had that he carried with him at all times, the only one he cared about losing, was a drawing of the girl and her father. He used talented strokes of the crayon while drawing them, eyes squinted to see them through the glaring sun and get every detail down. 

To his side, stood Oberyn and another guy that had came down to have a smoke just minutes before. Theon was too caught up in his sketch to pay attention to anything the two men were discussing between them.

Walking past was two crew members from the ship, holding the leashes of around five or six dogs. Every single one of these dogs, no matter the breed, if they are big or small, they were evenly combed out and shampooed. The dogs had more wealth on them than Theon, Oberyn and Gendry did put together. Seeing the dogs going past, Gendry let out a scoff and pointed towards them. 

“That’s typical. First class dogs coming down here to take a shite.” He brings the cigarette up to his lips while shaking his head. 

  
“Let’s us know where we rank in the scheme of things.” Theon throws back with that charming, cheeky grin pulled across his lips, finally lifting his head from the sketch he had been focused on for over an hour now. 

Blowing the smoke away after inhaling, Gendry smiles back at him. “Like we could forget.” 

Leaning forward, cigarette balanced between his lips, Gendry held out his hand towards Theon. “Gendry Waters.” 

“Theon Greyjoy.” They shake hands, just as Oberyn joins in, greeting himself and shaking hands with Gendry as well. 

“So Greyjoy huh? You’re from the Iron Islands then eh?” 

Theon’s eyes were too busy focused upon the redhead beauty that stood on the top deck, looking over the railing and out towards the sea. He didn’t even hear a word that Gendry had said to him. Turning around to see what he was looking at, Gendry chuckles and shakes his head at his new friend. 

“Aww forget it boyo. You’d as likely to see angels fly out of yer arse as to get next to the likes of her.” He smiles anyway, noticing Theon didn’t even take his eyes off her then. Oberyn was laughing along, waving his hand in front of Theon’s face. 

But it was like Theon was in a whole other world as Sansa took off the frilled hat on top of her head, looking at it before tossing it over the railing and into the water below, watching the white floating away with the waves of the sea.She was like something from a romance novel that he had read, sad and isolated away from the world. 

It was then that she turned her head, eyes locking onto Theon’s. Neither of them took their eyes away until Sansa did, but not for long before she looked right back at him. But Joffrey came out behind Sansa, grabbing her by the elbow roughly and turning her body to look at him. By the look on the man’s face, he was not happy, not pleased at all. Theon took note of this as he frowns a little, watching the angel walk back in the direction she came from. 

___________

Sansa was sat at a large table, staring off into space as the people around her chatted loudly and happily. She stares down at her plate, Joffrey and her mother too busy laughing along with the guests to even notice she wasn’t paying attention. 

**_“I saw my whole life as if I’d already lived it. An endless parade of parties cotillions, yachts and polo matches… Always the same narrow people, the same mindless chatter. I felt like I was standing at a great precipice, with no one to pull me back, no one who cared… or even noticed.”_**

___________

Sansa walks along the hallway once she had exited the first class dining room, nodding towards the steward that walks past and greets her. She was completely put together. Always a lady. 

Once she had reached her bedroom, she takes a look in the mirror from where she leaned over the desk, rushed breathes coming from between her lips, her chest heaving. With a sudden cry, she reaches for the necklace around her neck and rips it from her body, the pearls spilling and flying across the room. She rips through the room, ripping at the dress that was clinging to her body, only ripping it slightly at the sleeves, her hair being pulled from the neat updo it was in. She knocks things from the dresser, she throws one of the vases that she had spent so long trying to organise earlier with Shae towards the mirror she was looking in just comments before, cracking it. 

__________

Running down the hallway and towards the deck, her heels hammer against the wooden decking, breathing hard and heavy, her hair in tangles, still half up and half down from where she had torn it out just moments ago. Other first class passengers moved past her, a couple looking at her in shock at the display of emotions she was giving in public. Sansa’s shoulder hits into the woman’s, knocking her back a little but Sansa keeps running, not turning back to apologise like a proper lady would do. 

She could almost hear her mother’s voice in her ear, filled with disappointment and disgust of her daughter’s display of emotions and lack of manors. It only fuels the anger and self-hatred in Sansa even more, more tears falling down her cheeks. Opening the gate once she reaches the stairs, she runs down them and onto the deck of the third class, a few of the passengers giving her a look of shock and worry - a complete contrast to the first class who looked more shocked that she was displaying her emotions in public. 

But it doesn’t stop Sansa from running, all the way towards the stern of the ship and past the set of benches where Theon was lying stretched out, a cigarette between his fingers as he looked up at the night sky and counted the stars above him. She runs right past him, not noticing him lying there in the shadows. 

Sansa only stops when she comes in contact with the base of the stern flagpole, taking a moment to catch her breath while she looks out at the black water surrounding the ship. 

Once her eyes take a moment to take in the scene around her, her breathing slows, her tears drying against her cheeks as she slowly pushes off of the flagpole and moves herself towards the railings, turning to make sure no one was watching her, but no one had even noticed her down there. No one had followed her to make sure she was alright. 

It confirmed what she already knew. No one, not even her mother or Joffrey, would care or notice if she was gone. If she was to throw herself off the back of the ship and into the black waters below. Her mind was racing at a hundred miles an hour with thoughts, feelings, the self-hatred that had been building over the years just growing more and more like a bile in her throat, ready to come up at any moment since she had pushed it down for so many years. 

She reaches her hands out, shakingly as she takes hold of the top railing. She slowly pushes herself up, her red heels coming up onto the bottom railing and her skirts swaying in the wind along with her hair. She didn’t notice the figure behind her, slowly approaching. As she holds onto the pole to pull herself up, she swings her first leg over, turning her body so she was facing the ship for the moment while she brought her other leg over, now hanging off the railings at the stern of the ship. She turned herself around once more, hands gripping onto the railing while her breathing picked up again, getting heavier. 

She leans forward to look down at the water below, her eyes squeezing shut as she took a moment to herself. This was it, she would jump and it would be over. The fakeness, the having to be a proper lady at all times, the feeling of isolation and loneliness. It would just be nothing once she hit the water and was dead. 

“Don’t do it.” 

Sansa’s head whipped around, her eyes taking a moment to focus on the man that stood behind her to the side, his hand stretched out in front of him. “Stay back! Don’t come any closer.” 

Noticing the tears that had dried upon her cheeks, Theon took another step closer to her, holding his hand out to her. “Come on. Give me your hand, I’ll pull you back over.” 

“No! Stay where you are… I mean it… I’ll let go.” 

Theon tosses his cigarette over the side and into the water, shaking his head at her. “No you won't.” 

“What do you mean no I won’t? Don’t presume to tell me what I will and will not do. You don’t know me.” 

Theon was now stood up beside her, hands shoved in the pockets of his pants as he gave a shrug of his shoulders. “You would have done it already. Now come on, take my hand.” He reaches his hand out towards her once more.

Sansa can hardly see him through her tears, one hand coming up to wipe them away which causes her to almost lose her balance. “You’re distracting me, go away.” Her eyes turn back out to look down at the water below, grip tightening on the railing. 

“I can’t. I’m involved now.” Taking a deep breath, Theon takes his jacket off. “You let go, I have to jump in after you.” 

“Don’t be absurd. You’ll be killed.” Sansa’s eyes focus on his boots as he leans one foot against the railing to take the laces out. 

“I’m a good swimmer.” 

“The fall alone will kill you.” 

“It would hurt. I’m not saying it wouldn’t. To be honest, I’m a lot more concerned about the water being cold.” He comments, still unlacing his boot as he moves to do the other. 

During which Sansa looks down at the water below, her brows frowning with concern. “How cold?” 

“Freezing. Maybe a couple degrees over.” Sansa stays silent at that, watching as he takes off the other boot and stands now barefoot. “Ever been to Pyke?”

“What?” Sansa asks, confused on where he was going with this.

“Well Pyke has some of the coldest winters around. And I grew up there, near the beach. Once when I was a kid, me and my sister were ice-fishing out by the rocks. Ice-fishing’s where you chop a hole in the-”

“I know what ice-fishing is!” 

“Sorry..” He pulled a face, holding his hands up in defense before his eyes trailed up and down her body, gesturing towards her. “Just… you look like a kind of indoor girl. Anyway, I went through some thin ice and I’m telling ya, water that cold… like that right down there… it hits you like a thousand knives all over your body. You can’t breathe, you can’t think… least not about anything but the pain.” He leans back up, sighing. “Which is why I’m not looking forward to jumping in there after you. But like I said, I don’t see a choice. I guess I’m kinda hoping you’ll come back over the rail and get me off the hook here.” He takes off another layer of clothing, leaving him in his shirt and braces. 

“You’re crazy.” 

“That’s what everybody says. But with all due respect miss…” He leans in towards her, speaking over her shoulder and almost into her ear. “I’m not the one hanging off the back of a ship here.” He slides a little closer to her, his hand held out towards her once more. “Come on, you don’t want to do this. Give me your hand.” 

Looking at his eyes, Sansa takes a minute, her face slowly going from scared to comforted as she reaches her hand for his. “Alright.” 

Her hand comes off the railing, reaching for his as he takes her by the hand firmly, smiling at her. His hand was warm against her cold one. 

“I’m Theon Greyjoy.” 

“Sansa Stark.” 

“Come on.” 

The both of them moved at the same time, his hand holding tightly onto hers as she moved her right foot up towards the first railing, but her dress got in the way, causing her heel to slip as she falls down, a shriek leaving her lips at the same time as she dangled off the back of the ship, eyes widening when she looked down at the water below. 

Theon thrusted himself forward, almost dangling himself over the railing as he held tight grip to her hand that was still in his, pulling with both hands to try and bring her back up again. 

“Help me! Help me!” Sansa continued to shriek out, catching the attention of some crew that were nearby on nightwatch. Theon was flailing and gripping for any part of her that he could, slowly and surely getting her up. “Come on.” 

Sansa loses her feet again, falling back and further down this time, causing more panic from Theon and her. Sansa could barely get a grip on anything, panicking and crying as she feels like she’s ready to fall the rest of the way and plunge to her death into the cold water below any moment. 

“I’ve got you. I won’t let go.” Theon promises as he catches her attention, his hands gripping more firmly now as he uses all of his strength to pull her up further. “Now pull yourself back up! Come on!” Sansa managed to grab hold of one of the railings, pulling her body up as Theon pulled at her arm until she was far enough up for him to wrap his arms around her, her face buried into his neck as he pulled her up and over the rails, her legs too much like jello to be able to move or work themselves to pull herself over them. As he pulled her over, he loses his footing, causing both of them to fall in a tangled heap on the decking. Theon was hovering over the top of Sansa, her laying down on the wood with her arm still wrapped around his neck when the crew arrived to where they were. 

“What’s all this?” He asked, confused by the scene of a first class girl with a third class man in front of him, her laying on the ground with him over the top of her. His eyes shifted to the side where Theon’s boots were laying, back at Theon and then down at Sansa who was heavily panting. “You stay back! And don’t move an inch!” He points a finger towards Theon, who slowly stands to his feet and shoves his hands into his pockets. 

“Fetch the Master at Arms.”

__________

Sansa was sat on the bench, crying as she shivered in the blanket that had been wrapped around her by one of the gentlemen that had came out with Joffrey and Sandor. Theon was standing with his hands in front of him, the Master at Arms which was the closest thing to a cop on the ship, cuffing him. 

Joffrey was standing in front of Theon with Sandor to his side, absolutely furious and not caring for Sansa who was sitting behind them on the bench. Once Theon was in cuffs, he reaches out and grabs Theon by his braces, getting into his face. “What makes you think you can put your hands on my fiancee?!” Noticing that Theon’s eyes had trailed away from him and onto Sansa who was sitting behind him, he smacks him and tugs on his braces again. “Look at me, you filth! What did you think you were doing?” 

Sansa looked up from her lap, standing to her feet as she moves her body, still wrapped up in the blanket, in between the two men to get Joffrey away from Theon. “Joffrey stop! Stop it was an accident.”

“An accident?” Joffrey asks, chuckling in disbelief.

“It was… stupid really. I was leaning over and I slipped.” Sansa’s eyes move, catching eyes with Theon as she gave him a look, telling him to agree with her story. The last thing she needed was Joffrey thinking she was wanting to throw herself off the back of the ship. “I was leaning way over to see the uh… uh…” 

“Propellers?” Joffrey questioned, earning a nod from Sansa.

“Yes the propellers, and I slipped. And I would have gone overboard but… Mr Greyjoy here saved me, and he almost went over himself.”

Joffrey can’t help but laugh at the story he was being told, shaking his head as he looked towards the other men. “She wanted to see the propellers.” 

One of the men laughed along, but had a kind smile on his lips. “Women and machinery do not mix.” 

Pulling Theon back, the Master at Arms glared down at him. “Was that the way of it?” 

Theon glanced towards Sansa, who’s eyes were locked onto him and pleading, begging for him to agree with the story. And so he nodded. “Yup. That’s pretty much it.” He looks back to her, earning a smile. A secret between them, that only the two of them knew. 

The man from before spoke up again. “Well then, the boys a hero then! Good for you, son. Well done.” He smiles towards Joffrey. “So all’s well and back to our brandy, eh?” 

Theon was being uncuffed again, his eyes never once coming away from Sansa. He had never met someone like her, someone so exquizit. He watched as Joffrey rubbed her arms and began to lead her away, a possessive hand pressed against the small of her back. 

“Perhaps a little something for the boy?” Pointed out the man, giving a look towards Joffrey. Joffrey almost huffed out but kept it in, nodding as he looked towards Sandor. “Oh right, Mr Clegane? I think a 20 shall do it.”

Sansa laughs, almost mockingly as she stopped Joffrey from walking any further forward. “Is that the going rate for saving the woman you love?”

Noticing the look on Sansa’s face, Joffrey knew she’d never let it go if he left things how they were, pursing his lips out a little. “Sansa is displeased, hmm…what to do..” His eyes land on Theon, trailing from his feet and back up. A little smirk forms onto his lips as he nodded his head. “I know.” He takes a step closer to him. The thought of someone like Theon, filth, sitting in between the first class was just too good of an opportunity for Joffrey to give up. He knew Theon wouldn’t have much clothing, possibly only had what he had on at the moment, and he was unwashed and ill-mannered. He was everything that the first class hated. “Perhaps you could join us for dinner tomorrow, to tell our group of your heroic tale?”

With one look towards Sansa, Theon nodded in agreement as he pulled his coat back on. “Sure. Count me in.” 

Joffrey smiled, pleased that he had agreed to become the fool of the first class conversation. “It’s settled then.” He turns, leading Sansa off with a little shake of his head as he muttered towards the other man. “This should be interesting.” 

Theon’s eyes followed them all the way until Sansa was no longer in his sight, his eyes now turning to Sandor, whistling towards the man. Sandor stops, glancing back at him. “Can I bum a smoke?” Theon questions, actually surprised when Sandor made his way over to him, holding the cigarettes out towards him. Theon takes one, placing it between his lips before taking another, slipping it behind his ear for later. 

Theon pushes the cigarette down with his tongue, eyes on Sandor. 

“You’ll want to tie those.” Sandor comments, gesturing towards Theon’s unlaced boots. “You know it’s interesting that the young lady slips so suddenly and you still had time to remove your jacket and your shoes.” He turns away, heading in the direction that the rest had headed and leaving Theon behind him, staring while holding the cigarette between his teeth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments, kudos and bookmarks are appreciated as always! 
> 
> i hope you all enjoyed. this chapter just proved to me how much sansa fits as rose and theon as jack.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bond is growing between Sansa and Theon — and multiple people are not so happy about it. 
> 
> Theon joins the first class passengers for a night of more courses and utensils than he can count.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it has been a LONG time since i updated this fic, or wrote anything theonsa wise. so many apologies for the long wait! i've decided i want to actually get this fic finished before moving on to anything else i have planned.
> 
> i hope you're all well!

Soft hands ran over the small rounded mirror where she sat at her vanity clad in a cloth nightgown, soft tumbles of red waves coming down and caressing her face like a gentle kiss from a lover. She could still feel the rough touch of Theon Greyjoy’s hand holding her own, pulling her over the railing from falling into the ice cold waves that he had told her felt like a thousand knives stabbing you all over your body. She could almost still feel the hot breath of his against her skin, brushing across her ear while he mumbled to her and spoke her out of doing something she would have never come back from.

Pulled from such thoughts as the door to her bedroom creaked open, Joffrey clad in his own undershirt peeking around the hardwood door before entering in, hiding something behind his back from her line of vision. They both stared at each other through the mirror, before Joffrey was the first to break the silence.

“I know you’ve been rather down lately. I won't pretend to know why.” Even he was not afraid to show the distaste in her lack of opening up to him, as he referred to her as a closed book on multiple occasions during their relationship. He creeps into the room, coming to stand behind her chair — looming over her and casting shadow across her face. “I was going to save this for the engagement party next week but .. I thought tonight was the perfect opportunity to present it to you.” the large box opened, showing off the large heart-shaped diamond necklace inside, sparkling away underneath the lights of the crystal chandeliers that hung above. 

“As a reminder for my feelings for you.”  _ As a reminder that I own you. _

“Is it a-” He cuts her off before she can ask. 

“A diamond? Yes, yes.” There was a grin across his face as he took the necklace from the box and proceeded to lift it to her neck, allowing her to look at the blue diamond and how it looked against her pale skin. “56 carrots to be exact … it was won by Aegon the conqueror when he managed to claim Dorne under his 7 kingdoms. They call it the Heart of the Ocean.”

The necklace was bright, and heavy around her neck. It stuck out like a sore thumb and made her feel entirely owned by Joffrey — like this necklace was a reminder that she must always obey him, because he placed such an expensive thing around her throat like a chain. She felt like his dog, being chained with an expensive collar and being led around on a leash by his side.  _ Was that how marriage was supposed to be? She didn’t remember her parents ever being like that while her father lived. _

“You know, Sansa… there is nothing I couldn’t give you. There is nothing that I would deny you… if you do not deny me.” There was a long stare between them, Sansa’s hand grazing against the diamond around her throat. “Open your heart to me, Sansa.”

______________________

His eyes were half closed as he shielded himself from the sun that was beating down upon them, clutching the brown leather pad beneath his arm where no one would be able to see into its contents. Theon had been awake majority of the night, the soft waves luring him in and out of sleep as the face of a certain redhead kept flashing into his mind, remembering the way her red hair had flew around her face in the wind of the cold night, her hands moving from gripping the white railing of the ship to then gripping onto his hands, fear in the eyes and then  _ trust  _ as he managed to pull her back over and onto the deck. 

“You fuckin’ better be gon to that dinner tonight. I’m telling ye. One of the ten courses those rich cunts have could feed the three of us for a week.” Gendry puffed at his cigarette a few times before allowing the smoke to flow from his nostrils and from between his lips. “Ye’d be fucking stupid to not go for that dinner and eat all the fuckers food.” He shakes his head, unaware that Theon was hardly listening to him ramble on anyway.

“Hello gentlemen.” All three heads shot up, staring at the redhead as she came to stand in front of them with her hands crossed over and clasped in front of her body, posture straight. “Would it be acceptable for me to borrow Mr Greyjoy for a stroll around the deck?” She offered a sweet smile, while the men just blinked at her before coming from their deep minds.

“Aye aye, course ye can take him. But em … I’d maybe not walk around this deck, Miss. This is where the first class come down to take their dogs for a shite.” A smack was earned for the man from a glaring Oberyn, shaking his head in distaste at the language being used around the lady. 

“How dare you!” He hissed at him, shooting at apologetic look towards Sansa.

  
Theon brings himself up to his feet, sending a piercing look towards his two friends as they grin and nudge at each other and nod in the direction of the pair already heading off towards the upper deck for the first class — which Theon would only be permitted to be on because of his ‘invitation’ from a first class lady. He’d only earn a few glares and glances for being up there. 

“Goodbye Theon!” He heard being called behind him. “Have a nice day, Theon!” 

__________________

The upper deck was swarming with first class guests, taking strolls with their husbands and wives and sitting down on the wooden benches to have a look at the open water.

“Well I’ve been on my own since I was fifteen. My dad became an alcoholic and my mother got threateningly sick. Both of my older brothers died in a boating accident and my sister took it upon herself to look after my mother. Me and my father never saw eye to eye so I packed the little things I had and I sailed on out of there on my little boat. Haven’t been back since.” The pair walked along the deck, Sansa’s hands still clasped in front of her swaying body while Theon’s held onto his sketchbook, and the other was shoved into the pocket of his trousers. “So Sansa, we’ve walked about a mile around this boat deck talking about how good the weather is and my childhood, but you still haven’t told me why you really came to talk to me.” 

A deep sigh came from between her pursed lips. “Mr Greyjoy-”

“Theon.”

“Theon… I wanted to thank you for what you did. Not just for… pulling me back but, for your words. You talked me out of doing something I could never have come back from.” 

“You’re welcome.” 

“I know what you must be thinking.” Sansa let out a small scoff as she shook her head, mostly at herself. “Poor little rich girl, what would she know about misery.”

“No…” He shook his head back at her, leaning to the one side as his hand came to wrap around one of the thick ropes. “What I was thinking is what could have happened to this girl to make her think she had no way out.” 

“Well it was... “ Shifting forward to push herself to stand looking over the edge of the deck, across the sea and down at the decks below them. “Well it was… It was everything. My whole world. And all of the people in it. Making these choices for me and powering ahead and I have no chance to stop it.” She offered out her hand for him to see the engagement ring that sat upon her ring finger, a deep sigh coming from between her lips once more as she saw the eyes nearly coming out of the other man’s head, his rough hand taking hold of hers just like the night before.

“Look at the size of that thing! You would have gone straight to the bottom.” He tried to jokingly tell her with a smile across his lips, but he could tell by the look on her face that the engagement ring, nor the engagement itself was not a happy thing. 

“500 invitations have gone out. All of King’s Landing highest society will be there and all the while I feel like… I’m standing in a crowded room, screaming at the top of my lungs and no one even looks up.” her voice got higher the more upset she got.   


A beat. “Do you love him?”

Eyes meet eyes. “Pardon me?”

“Do you love him?”

“You’re being very rude. You shouldn’t be asking me this.”

A little shrug of the shoulders and a slight chuckle came from Theon. “It’s a simple question. Do you love the guy or not.” 

“This is not a suitable conversation for us to be having!” A breath of nervous laughter started to come from the young woman, shaking her head as he seemed to mock her with his eyes and smile.

“Why can’t you just answer the question?” 

More laughter as she turned and moved herself away from him, a hand coming up to touch her hair and her face and look anywhere but at him. “This is absurd. You do not know me and I do not know you and we are not having this conversation at all. You are rude and uncouth and presumptuous and I am leaving now! Theon, Mr Greyjoy, it has been a pleasure.” She reaches for his hand, formly shaking it though still refusing to meet his eyes. “I sought you out to thank you and now that I have thanked you-”

“And you’ve insulted me.” The grin still hadn’t left his lips, their hands still joined and shaking. 

She was speechless for a moment, trying to find her words and her mouth opening and closing like a gaping fish in the water. “Well you deserved it.”   


“Right.”

“Right.” She scoffed.

Their hands were still shaking. 

“I thought you were leaving?” 

She scoffed again, shaking her head as she finally dropped her hand from his and turned her body in the opposite direction from him. “I am.” She took a couple of steps before coming to a halt again, turning to make another comment. “You are so annoying!” She turned and walked another couple of steps before returning right to him. “Wait! Why do I have to leave? This is my part of the ship, you leave!” She points in the direction of the stairs, leading down towards the lower decks of the ship. It was just then that she finally met his eyes for the first time since their argument had begun. 

“Well well well!” Theon leaned himself back against the ropes once more. “Now who’s being rude!” There was a teasing tone to his voice, like it was all a big joke to him. He found it funny that Sansa was so speechless at his tone of voice with her, with his comments. 

“What is this stupid thing you’re carrying around with you anyway?” She snatched the brown leather from between his fingers before he could get a good grip on it, quick enough to peak inside at the art work. “What are you an artist or something?” She peaks some more, flipping through page after page. “Well… these are rather good.” She finds herself moving till she is sat in one of the deck chairs, Theon following along close behind and sitting in the one beside her. “They’re very good actually.” 

Her fingertips brushed against the shadowed drawing of a mother holding her baby close in her arms, nuzzled in against her chest, getting fed from their mother’s breast. The most detailed part of the drawing was the hands — which Theon had even proceeded to draw once more at the side of the page in a bigger way. She ignored the pencil led causing black smudge against her fingers and flicked to another page. “Theon, this is exquisite work.”

“They didn’t seem to think much of them across the water in Meereen.” 

“Essos?” Her gaze found his as he gave a small shrug of acknowledgement. There was a slight twisting of her lips as she turned to look at another drawing of hands once again. “You fairly get around.” The comment came from between her lips before she released the underlying meaning of her comment, blue eyes widened and once again gaping as she tried to find an excuse for it. “W-What I meant was… for a- person with such limited-”

“A poor guy, you can say it.” There was a grin once again on his face, and it made her heart feel light once more and allowed her to release that tight breath she had been holding in fear of offending him. 

At the turn of the next page, a blush formed on the rounded cheeks of Sansa, a hand brushing through the unruly curls on top of Theon’s head as he tried to look  _ anywhere  _ but at her. Now he was the embarrassed one. The young woman stopped and looked at the drawing with a gasped mouth. “Well well well…” She turned the page, and another similar drawing came again. “A-And these are… drawn from life? Real… women?” She covered the drawing as a man walked on past them. 

“Well that’s a good thing about Meereen, lots of women are willing to get their clothes off and express their beauty through the way of art. They were all happy with these drawings of themselves- flattered even.” There was now a blush across his own cheeks, hand rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly as she turned the pages more to see more drawings of naked women. 

“You liked this woman. You’ve used her several times.” 

“Well, she had beautiful hands, you see?” He turned the page for her, their hands meeting and brushing together as they gazed upon the upclose drawing of the detailed woman’s hands between firm breasts. They barely even registered to their own touching. 

“I think you must have had a love affair with this woman.” 

“No no no, just with her hands. She was a one legged prostitute.” She stared at him with disbelief before he proved it to her in the following drawing, pointing it out while they shared a laugh. “See?” He took a breath. “She had a good sense of humour though. Oh, and this lady.” He pushed the drawing of one woman out of the way and exposed the drawing of a woman in a big fur coat, covered in all sorts of expensive jewellery. “She came into the same bar every night, wearing all of the jewellery that she owned just… waiting for her long lost love.”

“You have a gift, Theon. You see people.”

“I see you.” He fired the statement at her. There was a slight turn of her coated lips into a smirk.

“And?”

“You wouldn’t have jumped.”

____________________

Sat with a lit cigarette between his index and middle fingers was Petyr Baelish, sitting across a small round table from the Captain of the ship, Tyrion Lannister. The two men were sharing a quiet afternoon with some tea. While of course, Tyrion showed the papers to the maker of the ship; showing their speed, the amount of coal used so far, the amount of knots they were going at and more. 

“I see you have not yet lit the last four boilers.” It was more of a statement, than a question that came from between Petyr’s lips. He was displeased, Tyrion could sense that in his tone of voice. 

“No. We’re already making excellent time without pushing too far, Mr Baelish.”

Petyr folds the papers in his hands. “The press are already marvelling at the size of the Titanic, now I want them to marvel at her speed. We must give them something new to print!” He took a puff of the cigarette, looking at Tyrion through hard eyes. “How amazing would it be if we were to dock at Pyke on Tuesday? You could retire with a bang, eh Lannister?” There was a smirk on his lips, knowing that Tyrion was not going to drop the opportunity at looking good in front of the press before his retirement happened. This was his last time being a captain, of course. And Petyr Baelish knew that, and was not afraid to fully pull at some strings. 

“I wouldn’t want to push the engines before they are properly run in…” 

“Oh of course! I’m just a passenger, I’ll leave it up to your expertees. All I am saying is that the Titanic’s voyage must make headlines! And what better way to do that, than arrive days early at Pyke and surprise them all? I certainly know it would look good for you, Mr Lannister.” 

Tyrion sighed, but offered a nod of agreement. 

“Good man.” Petyr sat back in his chair with a small smirk, puffing at his cigarette. 

____________________

“At first I was working on a squid boat just off the coast of White Harbour, and then I headed on across the water to Essos and started doing portraits there for 10 coppers a drawing.” 

Sansa let out a sigh, gesturing with her hands out towards the open water, both of them watching as the sun started to come down for the evening — leaving the most beautiful purple colour in the sky over the water. “Why can’t I be more like you, Theon? Just… head out to the horizon and go wherever I wish to go…” There was a wishfulness to her words as she glanced at him from the corner of her eye. “Say we do go to this… Meereen of yours... Even if we just talk about it.“

“Let’s do it. We’ll drink cheap ale, ride the roller coasters on the pier until we throw up, and then after we can ride horses on the beach, right in the sunset like this.” He nodded out to the mix of purple and pink sky. Sansa could barely contain her laughter at the thought of a young lady like herself riding roller coasters and drinking cheap ale. “But you have to ride a horse like a real cowboy, none of that side saddle stuff that I know you rich folks do.” 

She gasped out. “Like- Like one leg on each side?” 

“Yup.”

A beat. “Will you show me?” 

A small shrug. “Sure. If you want me too.” 

She stared at him, lips pressed tightly together to try and contain the smile that threatened to form on them just like every other time; the two times, she had spent time with Theon Greyjoy. 

“Teach me to ride like a man!”

“I’ll teach you to talk like a man.”

She giggled. “And- And spit like a man!” 

He smirked at her, nodding his head. “I’ll show you right now. Come on.” He reached for her hand and clasped it tight in his own, dragging her along behind him, her protests falling deaf to his ears as he led them towards a less crowded part of the upper deck. 

“No! Theon I couldn’t possibly-”

“Now watch me.” Theon drew himself back, pushing himself forward with his arms as his spit went flying through the air and outwards- disappearing onto a lower deck or out into the open water. “Okay, now your turn.” She tried to copy him, glancing at either side of them to make sure no one was paying attention to her before giving a small spit, not nearly going as far as his. “That was pitiful. Come on, you really have to hawk it back- put some leverage into it. Draw your arms back, and…” She watched him again as he did it once more, the pair completely unaware of the man glancing at them beside them with a look of distaste- or at the approaching Lady Catelyn and other ladies from first class. 

“That was better that time! You really need to hawk it back, put some body into it-” With the pat on his arm, he stopped and turned to look where Sansa was looking, and found four women standing behind them, staring at the pairing with a look of surprise. Swallowing his spit, he offered a small smile.

“Mother!” Sansa exclaimed, offering a nervous smile towards the woman who had birthed her. “May I introduce Theon Greyjoy?” She gestured towards him. But Theon’s eyes were completely locked onto the shorter woman, staring at him through narrowed eyes and a stiff posture to match. 

“Charmed, I’m sure.”

The other women were all interested to get to know the man that had saved Sansa Stark’s life — as from their knowledge, she had nearly fallen off the back of the ship the night before after looking too far over, only for this man from the third class to be the only one around to help her. Olenna gestured towards him, telling him to wipe the stray spit that was still lingering on his chin. Olenna was frankly one of the only women in the first class that Sansa seemed to get along with - someone who did not judge Theon by his lack of first class manors, or by the way he was dressed. Unlike Catelyn that stared at him like he was an insect that needed to squashed quickly. 

“Well Theon, it seems like you’re a great fellow to have around during a sticky spot.” The other ladies agreed with Olenna’s words, nodding along before their conversation was cut by the sound of the horn - announcing dinner. 

“Why on earth they have to blow that annoying loud horn to announce dinner I will never understand.” Olenna shakes her head, a small laughter coming from Sansa.

“Shall we go dress, Mother?” She linked her arm through Catelyn’s, turning to look over her shoulder at Theon. “See you at dinner, Theon.”

A small wave, his eyes were completely locked onto Sansa as she grew more and more distant to him once more - walking away with her mother and with two of the other ladies that had joined Catelyn. 

“Son. Son! Do you have any idea what you’re doing?” Olenna raised an eyebrow at him, a small purse of her lips as she looked at the young man. He could barely contain the smile across his lips. “Well, you’re about to go into the snake pit. What are you planning to wear?” He gestured down towards the outfit he currently had on, earning a shake of the head from the older woman who linked her arm through his. “I figured, come on. I’m sure you’re a similar size and height to my grandson.”

_________________

He had never seen anything like the first class and their luxuries. Entering the grand staircase, hands nervously playing with one another, fiddling with the tux he currently wore — tight fitting and just right. Theon had almost not even recognised himself once looking in the mirror. His hair was set back in some sort of wax substance, and properly brushed through with a comb as well. He had been freshly shaved, he had on something that made him smell  _ expensive.  _ And as he walked through the doors — which were opened for him, a small and awkward nod was given to the man who opened it for him. He noticed a difference in the way the first class passengers behaved around him now, than they did earlier on the upper deck. 

He was offered nods and smiles and ‘good evenings’, instead of cold looks and glances like earlier in the day. Because he looked like he could be one of them in his tux and hair combed back. 

Eyes drifted around, at the large descending staircase with polished wood banisters all the way down, with a large globe of glass above his head looking up to the sky and allowing light through. Theon had never seen anything quite like it. There was a clock on the wall — engraved with fine art of angels in fine wood. There was even music playing as people walked to and from the dining hall where he would soon be joining them for dinner. There was a tightness to his chest, unnerving worry of how the evening was going to go for him. 

Standing by one of the pillars, Theon crossed his arms over his chest, leaning slouched slightly to the right as he watched men and women walk past him. Eyeing them and their body language, Theon took to copying the men and their stances; one hand behind the back and the other offered out how the men held theirs while they had a woman on the receiving end. It gained him many nods from fellow gentlemen, and some more ‘good evenings’. 

Coming down the staircase now was Catelyn arm in arm with Joffrey, the two of them wrapped up in conversation and too busy chatting to even notice Theon standing at the bottom waiting for them. Joffrey took one glance at him before turning his attention to one of the ladies.

Theon again started to copy how Joffrey was behaving with the lady, mimicking shaking the hand and placing a kiss against it. His back was straight, still holding his right hand behind his back. And that was how Sansa found him as she descended down the staircase, a small smile pulling on her red coated lips as she watched the boy she could hardly recognise standing there in a tux. His eyes found hers, widening at the sight of the beauty gliding down the wood like she was an angel coming down from the heavens. She walked like she owned the room — like she was the only woman in the room. Just the two of them. 

He came to meet her at the bottom of the staircase, taking her gloved hand into his own and pressing a kiss gently against her knuckles, not once breaking the eye contact that they were sharing. He was the first to break the seriousness. 

“I saw that in a movie once and I’ve always wanted to do it.” His familiar grin came across his face as she laughed out at his comment, hands still holding one another as she stood a few steps above him. Offering his arm to her, the two of them linked while walking towards the dining hall for dinner, approaching Joffrey and Catelyn who were wrapped in conversation with some other guests. 

“Darling.” Sansa leaned forward to get her fiance’s attention. “Surely you remember Mr Greyjoy?” 

Joffrey blinked, staring at Theon in disbelief as a mocking smile pulled across his wormy lips. “Greyjoy? My goodness… why you almost pass for a gentleman!” He shakes his head. 

“Almost.” 

Joffrey turned his back to the pair once more, offering his arm out towards Catelyn who hadn’t spoken at all, but instead just stared Theon up and down before turning to walk into the grand room to eat dinner. They followed them down another flight of grand stairs before coming into the dining room, filled with people chatting away with crystal glasses in hand filled with champagne. Theon straightened his posture once more, still linked arm in arm with Sansa on his right. 

“That’s Tywin Lannister.” She gestured to a gentleman that was standing just a little away from them, talking to another man. “He’s Joffrey’s grandfather, and also the richest man on the ship. His little wife there, Joanna, is my age and in delicate condition. See how she’s trying to hide it? Quite the scandal.” Theon offers a chuckle before she points to another couple. “Oh and there is Rickard Karstark and his mistress. Mrs Karstark is at home with the children, of course. Oh and over here we have Mace Tyrell and his wife, Alerie Hightower. She makes naughty lingerie.” The couple waved towards Sansa who waved back while whispering into Theon’s ear, who was trying his best to not laugh at her commentary. “It’s very popular with the highest society.” The two shared a smile while Olenna approached. 

“Care to escort a lady to dinner?” She asked, Theon offering out his other arm for her to take. 

“Certainly.” 

The three walked on through the doors and into the room filled with crystals and rounded tables that could hold more than twenty people. Everyone in the room was rich and Theon could tell it from the way they dressed, to as little as the way they carried themselves. 

“Not much to it, is there Theon? Now, they all love money, so just pretend that you own a gold mine and you’re in the club.” Olenna offered her advice to him from where she walked at his side, smiling at people politely as they walked on by. “Hey Allister!” The three approached a man and a woman. 

“Mr and Mrs Thorne, may I introduce Theon Greyjoy?” Sansa turned to them, smiling at Theon. The woman was quick to take his hand, introducing herself. Allister shook his hand as well. 

“Are you of the Oldtown Greyjoy’s?”

“Um no… the Pyke Greyjoy’s actually.”

They continued on through the room, greeting and introducing Theon to many people in the first class and high society. No one even suspected that he was from third class because of how well he seemed to fit in with them, but of course when it came to being seated for dinner, Catelyn and Joffrey wouldn’t let Theon forget where he truly came from. 

“Tell us about the accommodation down in steerage, Mr Greyjoy. I heard it's quite good on this ship.” 

Theon’s eyes found Catelyn’s across the table, surrounded by the highest members of society all sitting around and listening into their conversation. They too were interested in the third class boy. “The best I’ve seen, ma’am. Hardly any rats.” He managed to throw in a joke, earning chuckles from the other members at the table before Joffrey cut in. 

“Theon here is joining us from the third class. He was of some assistance to my fiancee last night.” 

Sansa smiled across at Theon, nodding her head as the soup was brought around the table to be dished for the first course. “Mr Greyjoy is actually a very fine artist. He was kind enough to show me some of his work today.”

As the soup was being served out to them, Theon glanced down at the plates and utensils set out in front of him with a confused pull of his eyebrows. He leaned in closer to Olenna who was at his side. “Are all of these for me?”

“Just start on the outside and work your way in.” She gave him an encouraging nod.

“And how do you take your caviar, sir?” Asked one of the servants to his side, leaning across his shoulder. Theon’s lips curled a little, shaking his head as he continued back into his role of  _ fitting in.  _

“No caviar for me, thanks. Never did like it very much.” He earned an approved smile across the table from Sansa. 

“So Mr Greyjoy, where is it that you live?” Asked Catelyn, sipping at the champagne in her crystal glass. 

“Well, right now my address is the RMS Titanic. After we dock at Pyke, I’m hoping to see my mother and sister, but until then, it will be up to the Drowned God to decide where I live.”   


“And how is it that you have the means to travel?” He could hear it in her tone.  _ How can a poor boy travel so much? _

“Well I just… seem to jump from place to place on small fishing boats mostly. I actually won a ticket on this fine ship from a lucky hand at poker. A very lucky hand.” A gentleman across the table nodded his head along with him. 

“All life is a game of luck.” 

Joffrey seemed to disagree with this. “A real man makes his own luck, right Greyjoy?” Theon hadn’t even heard what the man had said, but nodded in agreement with him anyway. Over the crystal of her glass, Catelyn peered at him from across the table. 

“And do you find that kind of rootless life appealing?”

A beat, and a nod. “Yes ma’am, I do. I’ve got everything I need right here with me. I’ve got the air in my lungs, a few blank sheets of paper.” He shares a look with Sansa, who was listening into what he was saying with intrigue. “I love waking up in the morning and not knowing what’s going to happen or who I’m going to meet. Where I’m going to end up… I mean just the other day I was sleeping under a bridge, and now here I am, on the finest ship in the world, drinking champagne with you fine people.” He lifted his glass to be refilled while chewing on the bread on his plate. “I figured that life’s a gift and I don’t intend on wasting it. You never know what hand you’re going to get dealt with next. You take life as its thrown at you.” He glances over the table at Joffrey, cigarette between his lips looking around for a way to light it. “Here you go, Joff!” He throws over the pack of matches from his pocket, not faltering once from his story. “To make each day count.” 

“Well said, Theon.” Olenna nodded her head, others at the table agreeing with her. But his eyes were locked on Sansa, who lifted her glass up at him, eyes never leaving his. 

“To making it count.” 

Everyone joined in. “To making it count!” 

But still the pair did not break eye contact. 

________________

It was later on, after Theon had eaten more food than he had in a week, that Olenna was telling one of her stories and making everyone around her laugh. “I didn’t tell him that I had put the money in the stove. And so he comes home, drunk and he lights a fire!” Everyone around them laughed, including Theon, who although he was a little uncomfortable with the idea of burning so much money and not caring about it — just wanted to fit in. 

Sansa leaned across the table to whisper to him. “Next it will be brandy in the smoking room.” Just as she said that, the gentlemen at the table started to all rise to their feet, talking of going to drink some brandy. Sansa pulled a face. “They’ll all be surrounded by the smell of smoke, drinking brandy and congratulating each other on being masters of the universe.” 

“Thank you for your company, ladies.” said Petyr Baelish, planning on joining the men for that brandy. 

Theon shifted himself to his feet as well, gaining the attention of Rickard Karstark. “Joining us for some brandy, Theon? You don’t want to stay out here with the women, do you?” he chuckled. 

“No no … I should be getting back now.”

Joffrey was the one to approach him next, giving him a pat on the shoulder in an uncomfortable, supposed to be friendly, way. “It will be all business and politics anyway. Wouldn’t interest you.” He shakes his head as he moves on past Theon, only turning to throw back the box of matches he had borrowed earlier. “Good of you to join us this evening.” 

Theon ignored him, turning and making his way over to a still seated Sansa. She turned her body in the chair to be facing him, head slightly tilted to look up at him. “Do you really have to go?”

“Yes I really have to go. Time for me to go into the darkness with the other rats.” He offers a smile, the two of them locked up in one another and not noticing the lingering eyes of Catelyn, watching the two with interest. Theon leaned down, taking Sansa’s hand into his and bringing it up to his lips to press a gentle kiss against her knuckles, slipping a note into her hand at the same time. “Goodnight Sansa.” 

He turned and walked away, Sansa watching him while looking around to make sure no one else was focusing on her or on the small yellow note in her hand. She unfolded it, reading his messy writing. 

** _Make it count. Meet me by the clock!_ **

And she did just that. Getting herself up from her chair, she turned to Catelyn and wished her a goodnight - stating that she was tired and just going off to bed. The older redhead thought nothing of it and allowed her, still in conversation with the other women at the table. 

Sansa moved gracefully between the rounded tables and took herself outside of the hall, back up the grand wooden staircase that she had come down from with Theon just earlier before dinner. Her heart was racing against her chest as she turned the corner and saw Theon standing exactly where his note had told her he was going to be waiting for her. She stopped to take him in, grounding herself as she took a deep breath and started up the stairs towards Theon. She took smaller steps, watching him as he watched the hands of the clock moving around before turning, and seeing her approaching him. A smile pulled onto his lips as he gave her a look. 

“So you want to go to a real party?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kudos, comments, bookmarks etc are ALWAYS appreciated !


End file.
